Course Description
The purpose of this practicum is to provide students with an opportunity to apply their Therapeutic Recreation knowledge and demonstrate professional skills in Therapeutic Recreation practice. By developing therapeutic relationships with clients and applying systems theory to individual client assessments and program plans, students will be able to demonstrate a range of Therapeutic Recreation interventions, promoting health and wellness of the client.
Course Content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
Professionalism
- self awareness and self evaluation skills
- seeks and accepts feedback
- safe practice and safety awareness including personal hygiene procedures
- effective working relationships with colleagues
- effective client interaction skills
- confidentiality in all communications concerning the agency
- personal wellness and appropriate work habits
- responds to the changing needs of the agency, balancing flexibility and organizational skills
- adherence to agency policies and procedures
Knowledge of Agency
- organizational structure, philosophy
- therapeutic recreation goals, philosophy, practitioner role, etc
- application of therapeutic recreation service model
- Practicum Seminars and Learning Experiences
- attends all seminars
- completes all written assignments
Therapeutic Interventions
Helping Relationships and Skills
- client-centered, age appropriate approach to all interventions
- helping relationships build upon humanistic values
- basic and advanced communication skills
- adopts a problem management/opportunity development approach to helping
- applies helping skills to discussions about healthy leisure lifestyles
Assessment and Individual Program Planning
- understands, and responds to the disabling condition(s) of the client
- analyzes the systems: family, agency, community, economic, environmental, political, etc. which may impact upon a client’s health and leisure well-being
- observes and interviews the client to identify strengths and needs
- prepares, with the client, an individual leisure lifestyle program plan
- implements, monitors and evaluates the plan
Activity Analysis, Selection, and Adaptation
- demonstrates ability to analyze an activity
- determines if adaptations are necessary for clients
Leisure: Education and Counselling
- demonstrates knowledge of the theories and practices of leisure education and counselling
- demonstrates knowledge of group dynamics and theory of group development
- facilitates leisure education groups
- demonstrates leisure counselling strategies with individual clients
- documentation of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of all leisure counselling and leisure education interventions
Therapeutic Recreation Program Leadership
- demonstrates breadth and depth in recreation activity skills
- demonstrates effective group leadership
- applies activity analysis and adaptation skills
- group assessment, awareness of group dynamics and needs
- writes effective program protocols
- documentation of program plans
- recognizes wellness, leisure, phenomenological and ecological perspectives when implementing all therapeutic recreation interventions
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations
This is a Mastery/Non-Mastery course
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate professional skills in the practice of therapeutic recreation
- demonstrate knowledge of the agency and the delivery of therapeutic recreation services
- apply systems theory in developing comprehensive, leisure related client assessments and individual program plans
- develop therapeutic relationships with individuals and groups based upon the values and skills taught within the Therapeutic Recreation Program
- demonstrate one-to-one, leisure education and leisure counselling interventions
- demonstrate recreation activity analysis and activity adaptation skills
- design, implement and evaluate therapeutic recreation group programs, including leisure education programs
Textbook Materials
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of each semester.
Resources include:
- Selected readings from a variety of therapeutic recreation practice textbooks
- Selected audio-visual and computer resources
- Selected readings from books and journals
- Therapeutic Recreation fine arts, adaptive equipment and supplies